CFS announces food safety report for August

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (September 29) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 9 100 food samples tested were found to be satisfactory except for 12 unsatisfactory samples which were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent.

A CFS spokesman said about 1 900 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, and about 7,200 samples were taken for chemical and radiation level tests.

The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygiene indicators; the chemical tests included testing for pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others; and the radiation level tests included testing for radioactive caesium and iodine in samples collected from imported food from different regions.

The samples comprised about 4,100 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; about 700 samples of cereals, grains and their products; about 600 samples of meat and poultry and their products; about 1,600 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; about 800 samples of aquatic and related products; and about 1,300 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).

The 12 unsatisfactory samples comprised three prepackaged dried porcini samples, a prepackaged salted butter sample, a red crab sample and a potato sample with excessive metallic contaminant; two prepackaged date samples detected with preservatives exceeding the legal limit; a prepackaged date sample in breach of food labelling regulation; a prepackaged meal replacement product sample found to contain Salmonella; a prepackaged breakfast cereals sample detected with an antioxidant exceeding the legal limit and a prepackaged brown eggs sample detected with an excessive pesticide residue.

The CFS has taken follow-up actions on the above-mentioned unsatisfactory samples including informing the vendors concerned of the test results, instructing them to stop selling the affected food items and tracing the sources of the food items in question.

The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food is fit for human consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risks.

Separately, as the Japanese Government has commenced the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the CFS will continue enhancing the testing on imported Japanese food, and make reference to the risk assessment results to adjust relevant surveillance work in a timely manner. The CFS will announce every working day on its dedicated webpage (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/daily_japan_nuclear_incidents.html) the radiological test results of the samples of food imported from Japan, with a view to enabling the trade and members of the public to have a better grasp of the latest safety information.

Ends/Friday, September 29, 2023